Words: 1422

From the moment it started, he could not stop it. From the moment Rei, sitting on the clean and polished tatami of his own big house, caught a glance of the newcomer, a serf's son. From the moment that boy, a small and beautiful young man with a slender body and magenta eyes, leaned in to serve some tea and lingered just one moment too long with a little, pleasing smile, they could not halt their paths and bodies from meeting and intertwining, over and over, as if despite Rei's effort to avoid said boy's eyes, the gods had decided the farmer's son would have to sneak his way into Rei's thoughts, despite the efforts to keep him out.
The next development was bound to happen the moment Nagisa approached the cultured, rich, passionate other boy to learn. History, art, literature. And it was not his place to be curious about such high matters but his eyes were big, sweet like honey, his hands small and his mouth red like a rose, and every squeak he let out with enthusiasm at some pretty flower or a colorful butterfly, it all seemed to charm Rei despite his resistance. With every brush of his finger, Rei's cheeks would burn hotter, Nagisa's eyes would leave scorch marks in Rei's memories until his insides would twist with every thought of the servant, the little marvelous boy stealing his thoughts away with each glance and bright, innocent grin; with every accidental, light brush of his hand.
And the same was happening on Nagisa's end. That beautiful, elegant man with bright glasses and a solemn air just seemed so beautiful, and with a couple of conversations Nagisa realized that the Ryuugazaki heir was also very smart. Of course, Nagisa was smart too, but in a different way, in a more practical one. He had learnt how to snatch food away and make it seem like someone else's mistake, he had learnt to pace himself in order to finish his duties with enough time for a nap somewhere quiet in the house, without being seen.
The one time he had been discovered snoring softly in an empty box, like a cat, it had been Rei defending him and asking that he would not be punished. That would have meant not seeing that small, beautiful servant prancing around the house anymore, taking the only interesting conversations he had with someone away from him. Taking the warmth in his chest away. It was all out of personal gain, no deep feelings involved. Not at all.

And he knew lusting after a servant would only end up putting said serf in danger, and it would smear his own reputation, but every time he attempted to step away and cool his head, something would happen to bring him back. Like Nagisa yelping and screaming at a wild boar attacking hm, or Nagisa pestering him to have a story read to him.
After all, reading stories to that boy was one of his favorite things. He could read, but he would sometimes say that he 'liked Ryuugazaki-san's voice'. Praise was, after all, one of Rei's weaknesses. And when Nagisa called him 'beautiful', after Rei spent his whole life raving about the mere concept of beauty, really craving to reach it, that made his heart stutter.
He had his own friends, of course. Sometimes he would go hunt or to events with them, have meals with them, but time spent with those people was not as beautiful. Every minute where Nagisa would take care of him seemed the worthiest time to spend. Afternoons where he would read stories to the servant did not seem like a waste.